Pleasure with Profit: Consisting of Recreations of Divers Kinds, viz., Numerical, Geometrical, Mechanical, Statical, Astronomical, Horometrical, Cryptographical, Magnetical, Automatical, Chymical, and Historical
Quick Summary
William Leybourn's Pleasure with Profit (1694) is a collection of recreational problems designed to engage readers in various scientific and mathematical fields. The book aimed to divert youth from vices by offering intellectual stimulation through numerical, geometrical, mechanical, and astronomical puzzles, among others.1
The work is part of a tradition of recreational mathematics books that gained popularity in the 17th century, following pioneers like Claude-Gaspar Bachet de Méziriac and Jean Leurechon. These books often emphasized arithmetic puzzles and explored topics such as number bases, card tricks, and weighing problems. Leybourn's title itself suggests a dual purpose: providing enjoyment while also offering practical knowledge and encouraging further study in "sublime sciences".1
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